Monday, January 26, 2009

THE MIDWAY GROCERY

Shuttered down, gas and electric turned off, the old Midway grocery now only stands to mark the junction of Jarales Road and Mill Road. Now standing sad and dreary in fair weather and foul, this store once served hundreds of families in the Bosque, Jarales, Pueblitos, and other areas of the Rio Abajo. The shoppers would hitch up their teams or saddle horses, to the hitching rail on the right end of the store while they shopped. Later, perhaps they would sit a while on the bench to the left of the doorway and have a smoke, or a chew, and swap friendly lies and gossip. Those with an automobiles could pull up to the glass topped gas pump to fill up their tank. To the left of the store is an old corral where various events were staged on occasion.

Why did this old store finally die? One reason might be that like hundreds of other stores across the nation it fell victim to the ever spreading national chain stores that could afford to stock and sell a wider variety of merchandise (at a lower cost) than the small stores could. In any case, the Midway Grocery Store is gone now, leaving behind it a memory of a more relaxed time and a kinder, gentler life.

About Me

I have lived in and/or traveled to many asian countries as well as Canada and Mexico, and speak enough Spanish, Japanese and Korean to get by plus a word or two of many other languages. I am a combat infantry veteran of Korean War (1950-1951).